• Manchester United has signed a multi-year deal with Marriott International, with multi-platform marketing including access to on-field & player experiences for 120M members of the Marriott BonVoy travel program.

• PepsiCo is acquiring the CytoSport supplements brand from Hormel, which includes the Muscle Milk line.

• MLS Los Angeles Galaxy has signed a deal naming Mescal El Silencio, a specially crafted mezcal label based in Los Angeles, as an official partner for the team and its venue, Dignity Health Sports Park. The alliance, being called the first mescal deal for a pro sports team, includes a Mezcaleria El Silencio bar on the main concourse.

• MLS FC Dallas has signed a pact naming Heineken as the official import beer for the club and Toyota Stadium. The alliance also make Heineken USA a founding partner for the National Soccer Hall of Fame, which recently opened in Toyota Stadium.

• Lisa Borders, who in October resigned from her position as president for the WNBA to become president and CEO for Time’s Up, has now resigned from that position, citing family situations.

January 15, 2019: In an effort to make the game more accessible to school kids and raise awareness of baseball’s use of science and STEM concepts, MLB has signed a multi-year alliance with Discovery Education, a leading provider of digital curriculum, content and professional development for K-12 classrooms.

The collaboration will see educators using Discovery Education’s Science Techbooks to “help students connect the world of baseball to key science and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) concepts through real-world data and exciting game-day experiences that fuel deeper engagement.”

A variety of MLB-themed content has been integrated into Discovery Education’s STEM Connect and Steaming Plus services.

Discovery Education’s Science Techbooks are currently used by some 5.6 million students across all 50 states and Canada.

“Major League Baseball is excited to launch this innovative partnership with Discovery Education, which reflects our shared goals of engaging students across the country, particularly in science and STEM,” Barbara McHugh, svp-marketing for MLB, said via the league.

“We believe this high-quality digital media learning tool will offer educators an opportunity to drive greater understanding of science and STEM, particularly in their application to careers within our sport, and help students discover the beauty of our game year-round.”

The videos, produced by Discovery Education, showcase a variety of MLB careers and help students connect what they are learning in school to multiple career options in MLB.

That includes groundskeeper, data analyst and baseball operations executive.

The partnership launched during a special event in the Baltimore County Public Schools’ Deep Creek Middle School, during which Nicole Sherry, head groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles (pictured), worked alongside area students as they analyzed turf samples taken from Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

An intro promo spot also features Devin Pickett, baseball information coordinator for the Chicago White Sox and Sue Lucchi, vp-ballpark operations for the New York Mets.

As part of the alliance, information from MLB’s StatCast, which collects and analyzes baseball data, will be part of a baseball-focused STEM Project Starters platform.

Students will be asked to solve such questions as “How does stadium altitude affect the number of home runs hit there?” or “How does a playing surface impact a player's speed?”

In addition, Discovery Education Streaming Plus will be home to a new MLB-focused Content Collection, which will house a variety of baseball-themed curriculum assets — including “best of” videos and images from MLB archives.

According to Scott Kinney. president for Discovery Education K-12 Education, “At Discovery Education, we believe a strong background in science and STEM is critical to today’s students’ future success.

“Major League Baseball shares this belief, and we are honored to partner with their talented team to bring students and teachers unique, relevant, real world content that drives the deeper student engagement in science and STEM that we know leads to improved academic achievement."

Silver Spring, Md.-based Discovery Education is a subsidiary of global media and communications company Discovery, Inc.